MEQUON, Wis. -- St. Louis Rams cornerback Justin King's rookie season is over before it started after he tore a ligament in his left big toe in Saturday night's preseason opener against Tennessee.
The injury will require season-ending surgery.
"He said it was just a fluke deal and said he got it trapped under a guy's foot or stepped funny and rolled over it," coach Scott Linehan said.
King will be placed on injured reserve. The fourth-round draft choice from Penn State had made a strong early impression in camp and was working as the team's third cornerback against Tennessee.
Thought to be more of a raw prospect than an instant contributor, King proved to be more ready for game action than originally thought. He was playing regularly in the team's nickel package against the Titans before coming out with about 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
"It's a weird kind of deal," Linehan said. "I feel bad for him because he worked really hard and was really going to push for a lot of playing time."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press